GRAND RAPIDS — Some Consumers Energy customers saved 20 percent on their bills during a pilot of SmartStreet technology in the city’s East Hills neighborhood, said Kristin van Reesema, project manager for the utility.

In the program, which was part of a Wednesday panel discussion on improving the electrical grid and conserving energy, 30 residences and 30 businesses were given remote meters that showed how much electricity was being used and how much that use cost.

Such incentives to conserve energy may be more important to the environment than generating electricity from wind and solar sources, said panelist Ian Hiskens, a professor at the University of Michigan’s electrical engineering department.

“The best way to stop pollution is to use less electricity,” he said.

Hiskens said renewable electricity that feeds the grid burdens the system because wind fluctuates and solar generation can increase voltage in lines to unacceptable levels. Also, production of the equipment is “a dirty process,” he said.

He called battery production a “disaster” for the environment, though power storage helps reduce the huge demand on the grid in the daytime.

But energy-efficient appliances and consumer awareness of how much power is required of different activities could make a big difference, he said.

The West Michigan Environmental Action Council sponsored the event to “move beyond what often ends up as a political debate,” said Rachel Hood, the council’s director.

Van Reesema said Consumers Energy is set to distribute 50,000 smart meters this summer. They should infiltrate the Grand Rapids market in 2013-14 and spread throughout the state by 2019.

“We need to do a lot with education,” she said. “And we need to design it so it’s as easy as possible for customers to use.”